Łukasz Madej tucks home his penalty. (Photo: Slasknet.com)
GKS Bełchatów scored their first league goal in 498 minutes to condemn fifth-placed Śląsk Wrocław to their first league defeat since mid-November. The home side’s victory pulled them from the bottom of the table for the first time since December, and to within six points of fourteenth-placed Ruch Chorzów who play on Monday. Śląsk meanwhile missed the opportunity to move above Polonia Warszawa and Górnik Zabrze into third position.
GKS boss Kamil Kiereś was clearly relieved to pick up his first win of the season, having failed to register three points during his first spell in charge.
“For sure the most important day for us – a victory and three points that allow us to jump above Podbeskidzie. We’ll now see what will now happen on Monday with Ruch Chorzow.” Kiereś told journalists in an optimistic mood.
“As for the match, the first half was a poor spectacle. It was a sleepy football game in which little was happening. Nowak and Żurek were introduced after the break, and added a lot of recovery to our game… This result will allow us to spend the holiday in a better mood.”
Whilst Śląsk were the bookmakers’ favourites to win the clash, it was relegation-threatened Bełchatów who started the game the brighter – However Śląsk keeper Marian Kelemen’s block from Senegalese striker Mohamadou Traoré was the only real noteworthy chance of the first period.
Kelemen was called upon early in the second half too, when a Bełchatów break caught the Śląsk defence napping, and substitute Bartosz Zurek’s drive was again well stopped by the Slovakian. However just minutes later Kelemen was to turn from hero to villain, as Szymon Sawala was brought down in the box. Whilst the referee’s decision to award a penalty – and tp give the keeper a red card – looked correct, it didn’t stop Śląsk protests which saw a further two players booked.
Once the furore had died down, incoming keeper Rafał Gikiewicz’s first action was to pick the ball out of the net after former Śląsk midfielder Łukasz Madej slotted his spot-kick into the bottom corner.
Despite being down by both one man and one goal, Śląsk came close to levelling things just after the hour mark when two blocks by Lithuanian stopper Emilijus Zubas and Sawala, and another by the inside of Zubas’ post, prevented Piotr Cwielong and Łukasz Gikiewicz from earning the visitors a point.
Despite their loss, Śląsk boss Staislav Levy was full of praise for the opposition’s performance. But now with difficult upcoming games against Górnik and Polonia, this could be a decisive three points dropped for the reigning champions.
GKS Bełchatów – Śląsk Wrocław 1:0 (0:0)
Madej (pen) 58′.
GKS: Zubas, Kosznik, Basta, Michalski, Madej (González 90′), Baran, Grzeszczyk (Nowak 46′), Sawala, Wacławczyk, Mateusz Mak (Zurek 46′), Traoré.
Śląsk: Kelemen, Pawelec, Kokoszka, Kowalczyk. Mila (R. Gikiewicz 56′), Stevanovic (Cetnarski 66′), Cwielong, Elsner, Ostrowski (Mouloungui 83′), Sobota, Ł. Gikiewicz.
Yellow Cards: Kosznik 48′, Wacławczyk 68′, Sawala 76′ – Ł. Gikiewicz 52′, Mila 53′, Cetnarski 81′.
Red Card: Kelemen 52′
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